From left to right: EFTA Secretary-General Kurt Jäger, Ambassador Petter Ølberg (Norway), Ambassador Akram Sa’ud Harahsheh (Jordan), Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson (Iceland), Ambassador Erwin Bollinger (Switzerland), Ambassador Frank Büchel (Lichtenstein)
On 10 June 2025, delegations from the EFTA States and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan met in Geneva to sign amendments updating their free trade agreement.
Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson, Head of the Icelandic Permanent Mission to the United Nations and other international organisations, acted as the EFTA spokesperson, while H.E. Mr Akram Sa’ud Harahsheh, Ambassador at the Permanent Mission of Jordan to the United Nations Office at Geneva, headed the Jordanian delegation.
The delegations adopted a decision of the Joint Committee amending their free trade agreement (FTA) in force since September 2002, together with amendments of the three bilateral agreements on agriculture. All four amendments take into account the latest developments in the context of the pan-Euro-Mediterranean (PEM) Convention. These changes aim to ensure a dynamic link to the PEM Convention rules, which are now more liberal and trade friendly, fostering further economic growth and prosperity amongst all parties.
More information on the PEM Convention and EFTA’s ongoing process of updating its FTAs with all PEM partners can be found here.
Bilateral trade between the EFTA States and Jordan rose from EUR 91 million in 2003 – the first year the FTA was fully implemented – to EUR 347 million in 2024, representing an annual average growth rate of 6.6%. In 2024, EFTA’s exports to Jordan were driven by pharmaceutical products, watches and machinery, while Jordan’s exports to the EFTA countries consisted primarily of apparel, chemical products, foodstuffs and vegetables. Read more about merchandise trade between EFTA and Jordan here.
